Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten bring their culinary talents together

With the St Barth Gourmet Festival (9th–15th) and the Saint Martin Gastronomy Festival (11th–22nd), November will undoubtedly be a month for food lovers. From 16 to 19 November, chefs from Saint-Martin will also be taking part in the ‘Taste of the Caribbean’ competition in Barbados, with a Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten binational team representing the territory for the first time since 2017.
The announcement was made on Thursday evening during an event organised by the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) at Kooyman, attended by Aïda Weinum (Tourist Office) and May-Ling Chun (St. Maarten Tourism Bureau). The Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten team taking part in the ‘Taste of the Caribbean’ competition will consist of Jewel Daal, senior chef at TJ’s Cassava Coal Pot in Sucker Garden; Djaya Coupey, pastry chef; Jamal Dormoy, junior chef; and Erion Peterson, barman. Renata de Weever, a culinary instructor at NIPA, who took part in the 2017 edition of the competition, will be the team’s coach.
Held since 1993, the Taste of the Caribbean competition brings together chefs from across the Caribbean, who compete in teams to represent their islands. The 2026 edition will take place over four days at Sam Lord’s Castle in Barbados.